The Flower Bud Times: Book One The Nightmare
by Impromptu Vivace
Summary: Best friends Berry and Logan set off to start anew in Flower Bud Village, but not before Berry is wracked by a horrid nightmare involving lying, drinking, and yellow Skittles. Will life really be that way for them, or will they love it?
1. Chapter One: The Departure

**_Hey! This is not only a story by me, but by my genius friend, Raesha Valentine also. Of course, neither of us own Harvest Moon in any way, but we do appreciate the use of the amazing characters and town! This book is the first in a series called The Flower Bud Times. Yes, it is demented and weird, which is how it gained it's title, The Nightmare. We really hope you enjoy this, and I'll try to have big chunks of it posted at a time. This book is done, and we're halfway through the second one, The Story. Thank you for reading, and please try to review. We're looking for anything from compliments to constructive criticism. Byez! -Renee._**

* * *

_Chapter One: The Departure_

"I can't believe you guys are leaving!" Hayden Tripp says to her two best friends. "It'll be so strange without you!"

Berry Daniels pops another yellow Skittle into her mouth and laughs. "You'll get along just fine! I promise."

"Aw, but we'll miss you guys!" Logan Cohn adds. "Don't mind her; she always gets funny when she has too much sugar and alcohol."

Berry whacks her room mate on the arm and takes another swig of warm beer. "Sugar and alcohol... So fun! The best combination in all the world!" she exclaims, shoving half a piece of cake in her mouth all at once, then downing the rest of her drink.

"You guys are too much," Berry's brother, Aido, says sitting on the couch precariously close to Logan. He's also had a little too much to drink. too well, Berry. You're going to end up down and out pretty damn soon if you don't lay off the beer."

"I am not," she protests, pouting. No sooner than the words escape her mouth, she's laying in his lap, gone. Laughing, Aido and Logan carry her to her room. He pulls the empty beer bottle out of her hand and covers her, leaving her to rest while they return to the going away party.

"Where's Berry?" a slightly drunken friend asks Logan, who seems to be the only completely sober girl there. "I thought the party was for both of you."

"It was. ...Is. She passed out a few minutes ago. We're letting her sleep it off so she can drive tomorrow."

The woman throws her a puzzled look. "You're driving there?"

"Of course! It's only a couple days. we'll live."

"And you're letting _her_ drive?"

Logan chuckles and replies, "We all know her too well, I suppose. She can sleep off alcohol in a few hours. I envy her for that, really..."

"You realize that it's only three? In the _afternoon_?"

"She'll be fine. I think it was those damn yellow Skittles again. She eats them almost ravenously."

Logan smiles. Her best friend's obsession with yellow Skittles is strange, but hilarious. In Berry's defense, yellow _is_ her favorite color, and Skittles her favorite candy. Knowing this, Hayden had special ordered tons of bags of yellow Skittles for the party, and for Berry's life in Flower Bud.

"I'll miss you, Logan!" the drunken girl cries suddenly, wrapping her arms around the startled twenty three year old woman. "Don't go!"

"I promise we'll write, Lilly. And besides, there's tons of people in Albany. You're bound to make new friends. Everything will be okay," Logan awkwardly tries to calm her.

"My name is Joyce!" she yells, running off. Logan shakes her head in amazement.

"Oops..."

Meanwhile, Berry turns in her bed, wishing she had yellow Skittles. Her subconcious tries to wake her, but she slumbers heavily, her blonde hair displayed wildly.

"Flower Bud... ," she mumbles in her sleep, tossing and turning, "Flower... Skittles! ...Yellow..."

* * *

"Logan! Are you ready yet?" Berry hollers from the kitchen of their small apartment. Today is the big day; they're finally leaving this tiny, cramped apartment for a house in the country. She's just finished packing up the dishes and Logan has yet to leave her room.

"Why do I have to come with you on this little 'adventure'?" she moans, lugging a huge suitcase behind her. "I could always stay here and keep the apartment for myself."

Berry sighs. They've been over this many times before. "Without my help, you can't afford the rent. Besides, we've been saving up forever for a chance like this! Just imagine," she says dreamily, "Wide open skies, the smell of fresh grass and a small country town full of people. It's perfect!" She picks up the box of dishes. "Come on, Logan. We need to finish packing. We told the mayor we'd be there by four. It's a decently long drive to Flower Bud, with it being in Massachusettes and all. We need to hustle!"

"I hate you," her room mate replies, dragging her suitcase toward the door feebly.

Berry grins. "I know!" she says, laughing. They head out and set the dishes and Logan's clothes in the trunk of Berry's car.

"Will there really be enough room for Aido _and_ our stuff in this cramped little Jeep?" Logan asks doubtfully, eyeing the red Jeep Commander.

"He can squeeze," she says, turning back to the building. She's so glad to be leaving this place; the building should've been condemned years ago. "So all that's left is my clothes and the four boxes in the study."

"Don't forget the rest of _my_ clothes!" Logan says with an evil grin.

"You have _more_?!" Berry asks, glancing at the gigantic suitcase taking up a third of our precious trunk space. "You're kidding, right?"

"Hey," she retorts, "You can force me to live out in the boondocks, but my wardrobe is all I'll have left of the city." She throws an arm over her eyes. "Woe is me!" she cries.

"Drama queen," Berry mutters as she goes back inside to her bedroom for the last time. She looks around at the bare walls and empty bookshelf. "Actually, I might miss this place once in awhile..." she muses aloud as she grabs her two duffel bags, her bookbag and her suitcase. She has much less stuff than Logan, and still it seems like a lot to her. She hurries back out to the car and tosses her bags in the trunk. Done with that, she walks back into the study to grab the miscellaneous items Logan can't bear to part with. "What a packrat," she mutters, staggering under the weight of the two boxes. Slowly she inches her way to the front door.

"Need help?" Aido asks her, leaning against the doorway, getting in as much of her way as humanly possible.

Berry grunts. "Yeah. Either take one of these boxes or move your tush!" He laughs and she feels him sneak past her. Dropping the boxes into the trunk, she passes Aido as he carries a single box out. "Wimp."

"Redneck!" he replies, tossing his box into the trunk also. Logan comes out with the last box.

"Hey now, let's all get along," she says, looking for room in the car. Berry helps her rearrange some boxes and she sets it down. "Today's a big day for all of us. Berry gets to live out her dream and I get to rot in my own personal hell."

"Logan, it's not that bad! Think of how much easier it'll be to breathe, and how beautiful the scenery will be!" Berry sighs, picturing it. Green fields, scattered farms ...basically heaven on Earth.

"Hey, I like smog and traffic jams!" she counters, glaring at her friend.

"Whatever. Both of you shut up. God, why are you even friends?" Aido asks, rolling his eyes. He has a point. The two girls are as different as night and day. While Berry has shoulder length blonde hair, green eyes and a sunny disposition, Logan has mid-back length dark brown hair, cool blue eyes, and an extremely pessimistic view on life. Even their body shapes differ greatly. Berry is more tall and curvy, while Logan is petite and dainty. They met at a college-prep high school where both girls were planning on majoring in music education and minoring in linguistics. The Dean roomed them together in the apartment and they gradually became close friends. Now that they've graduated, college is being put on hold to see if this farm life can work out for them.

Logans turns to Berry. "Why do you put up with him again?"

"He's my brother. What am I supposed to do, hire a hit man?"

"You coulda just asked me! I could use the money!"

Chuckling, Berry shakes her head. "Nana would definitely not be pleased with that. I'll keep your offer in mind, though." Aido sighs loudly and she glares at him. "Keep this up and there'll be no car for you! I'll donate it somewhere!"

Eyes wide, he nods. "I'll be good."

Berry smirks. "That's what I thought. Do we have everything?"

Logan nods. "I think so, but I'm going to do a quick check to make sure." She leaves and Aido crawls into the backseat. About five minutes later she comes back out with two more suitcases. "I almost forgot the rest of my clothes!" she cries, shock etched into her face. Berry giggles. Opening the back door, Logan throws the suitcases ontop of Aido. Hearing his muffled curses, they both burst out laughing. "That's it. I guess we can start your 'grand adventure' now, Berry."

Berry shakes her head. "No, it's _our_ grand adventure. Besides, if we're not happy after two years, the mayor will pay us for working the land and we can go to college. But it'll be fun, I promise."

She sighs and smiles. "I almost believe you. ...Almost." Laughing, the best friends climb into the car and set off for Flower Bud Village.


	2. Chapter Two: The Trip

**_Hopefully you enjoyed Chapter One enough to read this one... This is really when it starts getting weird. As before, enjoy, R&R and thank you for reading. Byez!_**

* * *

_Chapter Two: The Trip_

"Are we there yet?" Logan whines again. Aido leans forward and hits her over the head with is Nintendo DS. She turns around and snatches it, then throws it at him.

"Enough, children!" Berry screeches. Logan crosses her arms and sighs. Aido pulls her hair and she reaches back and smacks him.

"Hey!" he yelps, rubbing the side of his face. She sticks her tongue out at him and he whacks her on the arm. He bends down to pick up his DS and a minute later mumbles, "Great. You broke it."

"You're welcome!" Logan chirps. The argument ensues.

After about fifteen minutes of their bickering, Berry pulls over. "I can't take it, you two! You're twenty one and seventeen years old! Why do you insist on acting like three year olds?!" she shouts.

The two stare at her for a moment, then resume fighting.

"That's it. Get out! I'll sit here while you fight, but I sure as hell won't listen to it! Get it all out of your systems, then come back so we can leave!" Berry ends up screaming. Lucky for her, they get out of the car and keep bickering as they walk partway down the street.

"That DS cost me a hundred and twenty bucks! And you _broke_ it!" Aido yells, waving it in her face. She rolls her eyes and takes it again, and after a minute she hands it back.

"There. Now it works. Shut up about it. Besides, if you hadn't hit me with it, there wouldn't even be a problem right now. It was your fault to begin with."

Aido looks at her skeptically. He had no idea she was a tech geek. "You're good with technology, huh?"

"What?" she asks, confused by his topic change. "You're so immature!"

"How did I not know that you were a techie?"

She growls at him and he stops talking. "You can be _such_ a jerk sometimes."

"And _you're_ going to make some unlucky man a horrid wife one day."

She shrugs. "Eh... It doesn't bug me. I have no conscience.

"I can tell. Do you get your kicks from arguing with people or something? 'Cause you seem to do it a lot."

Logan scowls and replies, "So what if I do? If you'd leave me alone once in awhile, I wouldn't argue with you all the time."

"Whatever, bitch. Let's get back to the car before Berry has a coronary."

They wander back to the Jeep and Berry hesitantly starts driving again.

Somewhere in the midst of the next four hours, Aido dumps his water bottle on Logan and she purposely breaks his favorite CD into about twenty pieces, throwing them out the window every mile or so, insulting him every time.

"I can't believe I'm stuck with you two..." Berry mutters to herself, extremely grateful when she pulls into the dirt parking lot outside the town.

"Oh my God, this place really _is_ hell!" Logan whines. "God save us all..."

* * *

**_Sorry this is so short! It wasn't meant to be it's own chapter at first, and we couldn't think of a way to effectively lengthen it without ruining the aura and weirdness! Byez!_**


	3. Chapter Three: The Arrival

**_Okay, this is Chapter Three now. This is going to get really strange really fast, but bear with me._**

* * *

_Chapter Three: The Arrival_

The three of them climb out of the car once the paved road ends. Berry looks at her car nervously. Just because she's leaving it with Aido doesn't necessarily mean she's not worried about it. Logan keeps whining as they all emerge from the cramped car out into the sunshine.

"Guys, we're finally here!" Berry chirps, twirling around happily. Aido rolls his eyes as Logan collapses to the ground, clutching her throat and breathing heavily.

Berry looks at her sideways. "Are you alright?"

"Fresh air! It kills me!"

"Be happy, please? Don't ruin this for me!" Glancing at her watch, she grins. "The mayor said he'd meet us outside the city, right over there. He's hired the villagers to help us carry our stuff, since the road won't support my baby. Let's unload over there. He'll be here in twenty minutes or so."

Together, they pull everything out of the car. After about ten minutes of work, they hear a shout. Looking up, they see a short, round little man running towards them, a crowd of people trailing behind.

"You never mentioned that midgets live here!" Logan hisses, staring at the man. Berry kicks her in the calf and smiles sweetly at the man.

"Hello, hello. Dreadfully sorry for the delay! you see, I got caught up in pancakes again. Ah yes... ," he says dreamily, "Sweet, syrupy pancakes with butter... ...and syrup... ...and jam! Oh yes, I rather like jam... ," he reveres, drooling onto his jacket. Before Logan can open her mouth to comment, a girl that looks their age comes up and puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, how about you introduce yourself?" she asks him, wiping off his jacket with a tissue and tucking it into the breast pocket. She has jet black hair and grey eyes. She's pretty in a studious way, dressed in a navy blue dress.

"Right you are, dear!" he says enthusiatically. Berry and Logan trade looks. "I'm Mayor Theodore. I'm very, very glad to make your aquaintance! You must be Berry, and that makes you Bridgette. Do you like pancakes?"

Logan smirks. "I go by _Logan_, my middle name, you daft little man. And... What's a pancake? I've never heard of them," she asks. The man's head looks ready to implode and he launches off into a detailed rant. Berry looks over at Aido, who can hardly contain his laughter. The mayor's daughter sighs.

"I'm Maria. I run the library, just a little bit south of here. Those are ...the rest of the villagers," she says, waving her hand behind her. "We're here to help you settle in."

Berry grins. "Thanks. We have a lot of stuff, so it seems... Most of it's Logan's clothes."

Maria laughs and turns to the crowd. "Come on! Let's get started!" People start grabbing boxes and bags and head into town. "Follow me, and I'll take you to your new home!" Before they leave, she turns to her father and whispers something in his ear. He nods vigorously and runs after the rest of the villagers. "I told him I'd make him pancakes if he left us alone," she explains. The four of them laugh and follow her into the square.

"Wow... ," Berry marvels, awed. The square is huge, with cobblestone paths and flowers planted in planters around the entirety. Stone arches mark the entrances.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Maria says wistfully. "All our festivals are held here. Well, most of them, anyways." They exit the square and walk up a long road. "Meet us at the square tomorrow. We're throwing you guys a party. All the villagers will be there. ...I don't know your names!"

"I'm Berry, and this is Logan," Berry says, leaving out Aido. He pouts and she chuckles. "And Aido." Brightening slightly, he stays quiet.

"Why did you decide to move here?" Maria asks them as they neared the crowd standing outside a wooden cabin.

"My dears!" Nana Martha comes flying at them. Berry grins and wraps her grandmother in a big hug.

"Hey Nana," she says, laughing. Aido wanders over and hugs her too.

"Idol! You've gotten sooo big!" she exclaims, pinching his cheeks. He blushes fiercely.

"Nana... ," he mumbles, looking at Maria sheepishly. "Don't call me that."

Logan cackles evilly. "Aw, is Nana embarassing you in front of the pretty girl? Huh, Idol?" He kicks her in the hin and she yelps and makes a face at him.

"Oh, children, you remember your cousin Gina?" Nana steps aside, revealing a girl with her long white blonde hair in braided pigtails, and huge glasses dwarfing her smallish head.

"Gi!" Berry yells, hugging her tightly. The small girl laughs quietly.

"Claire, it's good to see you too," she says with a silent smile. "You must be Logan. It's nice to finally meet you."

Logan freezes. "What? ...You've heard of me? ...None of it's true, I promise!" she says quickly, glancing at Berry, who just laughs.

"It's good to know that you didn't really keep a baby wolf as a pet," Gina jokes.

Logan gains a worried look. "Don't look in the car..." She found a baby wolf a few months ago that was tame enough to keep as a pet, so she named him Eichi and passed him off as a dog to her landlords. He's as tame as a puppy and she's never had any problems with him being viscious or anything. As of now, he's in their car in a small cage.

"Oh dear... Um... Well, tomorrow you'll get to meet everybody, so today you should just unpack and rest. This is your house, and it has all the staple furniture that you'll need. It's a two bedroom, two bath with a kitchenette and large living room," Gina says, fiddling with her braids. Berry is overcome by an urge to slap her hands down, but resists.

"Thanks guys," Berry says, pulling her grandma and cousin into a hug again. "I can't wait to begin my life here!"

"Dearie, it's already begun," Nana says, patting her back. The wave goodbye and head back into the crowd. Maria smiles, gives a little bow and leaves with them.

"Well, after this stuff is dragged inside, you can take the car and go," Berry tells Aido, who looks mildly bewildered. He silently grabs a box.

"Will miracles ever cease?" Logan mutters as Berry leans over to grab a box.

Apparently, she's not the only one with the thought, and she clunks heads with somebody.

"Ow... ," she murmurs, rubbing the growing bump on her skull. She completely forgets the pain when she looks up at her assailant. "Oh boy... ," she mutters. In front of her stands the most gorgeous guy she's ever seen. He has to be at least six foot four, and he has sandy blond hair and the bluest eyes out of anybody she knows. He's also got some serious muscles; the red t-shirt he sports is strained from his biceps.

"'m sorry... ," he says gruffly, blushing and keeping his eyes on the ground.

"It's okay. I have a hard head," she replies breathlessly. She hears Logan snicker behind her as she holds out her hand. "I'm Berry."

"Blue. Anyways, I am sorry," he says, taking her hand roughly. His touch shoots fire up her arm and into her heart and her cheeks color.

"If you were really sorry, you'd show me the town tomorrow," she flirts, trying to catch his eyes.

He grins, and his blue eyes sparkle. "I'd love to," he answers, dropping her hand. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," she whispers, watching him leave.

Logan comes up and throws her arm around her. "We've been here, what ...a half hour tops?"

Berry nods.

"And you have a date? Already?"

She nods again.

"What gives?! You're such a ho!" she finishes, rolling her eyes as she watches a tall man wearing a bandana carry Eichi up to the house, looking scared stiff. "Idiots..."

"Wow," is all Berry can say as she picks up the box and lugs it inside, thinking of only one thing; tomorrow.


	4. Chapter Four: The Rebel

**_Okay, I promise that it gets weird in this chapter! (I've been slightly misleading in previous Author's Notes... Sorry.) Enjoy! Byez! -Renee_**

_Chapter Four: The Rebel_

After unpacking most of the house, Logan locks herself in her bathroom with a couple bottles of light lavender purple hair dye. "They want me to move out here?" she talks with herself as she dyes her hair. "That's fine with me. But I _will_ retain my individuality. Purple is my favorite color, so why shouldn't I show it?"

As the dye sets in, she reads a graphic novel, one of the hundreds that she owns. It's about five minutes in when there's a rapping at the door. "Logan! What the heck are you doing in there?! You said you were just going to take a quick shower and be down to help me unpack the kitchen! It's been almost an hour!"

"I'm sorry, Berry! I got sick! I'm taking a bath now, to help me relax a little!"

"Oh," Berry says. "Well, get better soon! Just go to bed when you get out... We can unpack the kitchen stuff tomorrow."

Logan grins. "Okay. I'm really sorry, Berry. It's probably just a little bug. I'll try to sleep it off."

"Alright... Goodnight!" Berry calls before leaving Logan's room and going downstairs to her own.

Logan looks at her watch. Ten minutes to go. She glances in the mirror and can see her hair already turning light purple. She had liked her original dark brown, but to her it just isn't individualistic enough.

When the time comes, she washes the dye out, watching the lavender dye swirl down the drain. Soon after, she turns in to bed.

The next morning, Berry knocks softly on Logan's door. "Logan, are you feeling up to the party?"

Logan turns in her bed and yawns. "Yeah! But I'll meet you there. I need time to ...prepare myself."

"Okay! I'm leaving now, though. I have to meet Blue!"

"'Kay 'kay!" she replies. After she hears Berry's footsteps fade down the stairs, she heaves herself out of bed and wanders into her bathroom to brush her teeth. Almost forgetting the night before, she jumps halfway out of her skin upon seeing her hair. "I've got to admit, it turned out really nice... ," she says to herself, finger combing the curly tresses. After brushing her teeth, she combs her hair, leaving it down, and changes into denim cut-offs and a jade green tank top, which reveals her abdomen. After slipping on brown wedge heels, she hops downstairs and slides her sunglasses over her eyes as she stumbles out the door into the blinding sun.

"Now... where is this damn thing?" she wonders out loud. After walking a few minutes, she passes a log cabin where a man wearing a bandanna and camo pants is chopping wood. His hair is spikey and deep brown, and it matches his eyes.

_Hm... Maybe I could bother him! _she thinks to herself.

"Excuse me! Do you know where the party is going to be?!" she calls, jogging over to him. "I can't seem to find it."

He eyes her suspiciously. "It's in the town square." When she just stares at him, he adds, "It's directly in the middle. You _really_ can't miss it."

"I'm Logan," she states suddenly, holding out her hand.

He shakes it uncertainly, still giving her a strange look. "Kurt."

"So are you going to the party, Kurt?"

"Nope."

She frowns. "You're _sooo_ lucky. I _have_ to go."

"Says who?" he asks.

"Well, Berry says I have to. ...But I really don't want to at all."

"...Then why are you listening to her? Is she your boss or something?"

Logan takes time to ponder this. "No..."

He chuckles. "Then don't go."

She shrugs. "Okay. ...So wat'cha doin'?"

Kurt looks at the rocking chair in front of him, then at the hammer in his hand, then at her. "I'm building."

"Why?"

"...I'm the carpenter's apprentice."

She leans up against the log cabin. "So wat'cha buildin'?"

He groans, looking up at her. "You aren't going away, are you?"

Logan shakes her head, giggling. "Nope," she says, popping the end of the word. "We're the only people in this town that don't want to be at that inane party. ...So you're pretty much stuck with me, Bud."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Sure! Or at least, so says my friends."

He eyes her carefully again. "Well, since I don't know you well enough to believe you, how about we get out of the sun and into some shade?" he asks, smiling.

Suddenly Logan starts cackling. "You smiled!"

"...Yes..."

She only laughs harder when she sees his pained expression. "Well, you have yet to smile!"

"Oh.. Kay..."

"I like it when you smile," Logan says, more to herself than to him.

He shakes his head, laughing lightly. "Why thank you... ...Hey, are you trying to make a statement or something?" he asks, gesturing to her hair.

"Yeppers. Sure am. I don't, by _any_ means, want to be here in this God forsaken country land with these strange people. Berry dragged me forcibly out here because she thinks it'll do me good, but I hate it. I'm _definitely_ a city girl. ...So, I'm doing everything I can to make it known."

His smile drops to a frown. "Really?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's just... I thought..."

She giggles again and exclaims, "Oh, I didn't mean you, Kurt! I'm really _glad_ I met you!"

Kurt brightens up and grins. "So, what do ya' say? Let's get outta here."

She takes his outstretched hand. "I'd love to."

* * *


	5. Chapter Five: The Party

_**I really hope you guys like this...**_

_Chapter Five: The Party_

"And then, the waitress told him they didn't serve pancakes, so he went back into the kitchen and slapped the cook! Now, the cook, you see, was a much taller, much strong man, and upon being slapped, he picked up my father and tried to throw him into the soup of the day!" Blue, Joe, Katie and Berry all laugh as Maria finishes her story.

As Joe launches into his tale about the time he'd gotten is shoelace caught in his fishing pole, she glances over to the entrance of the square. It's been almost and hour and Logan still hasn't shown up. Not that she doesn't think Logan can handle herself, but it's a new town and it's easy for Logan to get lost. She's not the most directionally sound person on the planet.

Forcing herself to listen to Joe, she laughs with the group, the faint noise sounding forced even to her own ears. Once he finishes, she excuses herself and wanders through the crowd, looking for her friend.

An unexpected tap on the shoulder causes her to turn around, her eyes level with Blue's broad chest. Craning her neck upward, she smiles at him. "Hey! What's up?"

"I should ask you the same thing," he says, smiling slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask that?" She looks at the entrance again and sighs. He raises an eyebrow and waits for her answer. "Alright, alright... I'm worried that Logan is either lost or purposely defying me. Either way, I need to find her."

He glances around the square. "Do you want me to help you find her?"

"If you could, that'd be fantastic. I haven't been here since I was a little girl, so I'd most likely get lost myself wandering around here alone. ...But this_ is_ our party. Won't people get upset if I leave?"

He grins and a devilish look takes over his eyes. "There's a trick I learned awhile ago if I ever needed to be alone. You just get them all in one place and after a few minutes, a tornado could roll through and they wouldn't notice. Believe me, they're not going to know. So how about I take this opportunity and give you a tour of the town?"

The two walk though town hand in hand, Blue occasionally pointing out buildings, like Blue Sky Farm and the Clinic. As they pass by the carpenter's, they see what looks like a half built rocking chair. Blue frowns. "Why would they just leave a project out in the open like that? Woody and Joe were at the party, so it must've been Kurt... But where'd he go?"

"I don't know, unless... what kind of person is Kurt?"

Blue thinks for a moment. "The kind that generally gives off the impression that he's going to eat your soul. Why?"

"I might know where he is. Is there an orchard around here?"

Blue looks genuinely confused. "Yeah. ...Why would Kurt be at the orchard? That doesn't make sense."

On their way to the orchard Berry starts to explain, "Logan, you see, is very eccentric. She's very often drawn to people, like Kurt, who don't want to be bothered. She goes out of her way to make sure they are sufficiently bothered before she's content. On random occasions, they reveal that they're just like her, strange and smart, and that's how she makes friends. On other occasions, they usually either physically harm her, or leave her by herself somewhere. If this did, in fact, happen, then there's a large chance she dragged him to the orchard. She really loves orchards, for some reason."

A long silence follows her in-depth explanation of her best friend, and then loud laughter. "You're kidding! It's like you have her mental patterns down to a science!"

"...I'm not joking."

They continue to walk toward the orchard when she spots a big blue flower next to a turn in the road. She drops his hand and bends down next to it, taking in the sweet scent. "It's so pretty..." she says, reaching out and brushing her fingers against the silky petals.

"There's a bunch of them by the lake. Wanna come see?" he asks. When she gives him a worried glance, he chuckles. "If what you said is true, she's fine. I promise. We'll go find her later." She seems to relax and he asks again, "So, you wanna go see?" She nods and the devilish look returns to his eyes. "Race you!" he yells, taking off down the dirt road.

"Hey!" she calls after him, sliding off her sandals. "No fair!" Catching up to him easily, she continues to run beside him until the lake is in view. She pulls ahead and stops, breathing calmly while he bends over, panting.

"Wow," he gasps out, face red. She grins.

"Fast, aren't I?"

He nods, still breathing heavily.

Looking down at her feet, Berry frowns. "I left my sandals back where we started!"

Blue waves it off. "We'll get them later." He straightens up and motions for her to follow them. He leads her through some trees onto a dirt path. When she seems skeptical of where he's taking her, he laughs. "See?" Stepping into a small clearing after him, she gasps. they walk onto a small balcony built into the ground and she twirls around happily. "This is Starry Peak. Its... um..."

"It's gorgeous!" she exclaims, running to the balcony railing. Looking down, she ignores a wave of dizziness. The scenery is beautiful!

"I know... It's the main... 'couple spot' in the entire village..." he sputters out, blushing heavily. He stares straight ahead of him, not even glancing her way.

She feels her cheeks color. "Why's that?"

"Well, because when the stars are out, it's very romantic." He slowly looks at her and the intensity behind his blue eyes sends a chill down Berry's spine. He steps toward her cautiously and takes her hand. "I've always thought it was nice during the day, too..." He leans down as she stretches onto her toes, and...

"What are you two doing?!" a gruff voice yells, the man it came from stalking toward them. Berry leaps backward, the force of her surprise almost sending her flying over the railing. Blue catches her by the waist, resisting the urge to laugh. A tall, lanky man with a gun holster and gray hair appears before them. "Well...?"

"Um..." Blue realizes his hand is still on her waist and moves it quickly. "I was just showing her the town. She's new."

"Can she talk?" he barks, glaring at her. _Call me psychic, but I think pretending to be a mime would piss him off_, she thinks.

"Yes, sir," she says, every ounce of her strong will keeping her from saluting him.

"Name."

"Berry."

"Age."

"Eighteen."

"Relationship with this man."

"Confidential."

"Excuse me?" he questions, stepping closer. She can now clearly see a gun nestled in the holster.

She bites her lip. "There's absolutely no reaosn for you to know, sir," she says cautiously. Blue stands beside her, a dumbstruck look crossing his face.

"I'm sure I can make it my business. Do you realize...?"

Berry misses the last part of his sentance as Blue talks loudly over him. "Berry, we might wanna get going, you know. Gotta find Logan."

Before Berry has a chance to react, Blue grabs her hand and drags her out of the clearing as fast as he can.

"Bye!" she calls behind her, hearing the old man start to cackle. "...Blue! Blue, slow down! You're going to take my arm off!"

He slows down to a brisk walk. "Oh. Sorry," he mumbles, gripping her hand tighter. She winces as she feels her fingers crunch. Mildly irritated, she yanks on his arm. He stops and looks at her. "What?"

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Berry yells, trying not to reach out and slap him.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt your hand?" he asks, seeming only half there. He reaches out to her and she pulls away quickly, glaring. He blinks, unsure what to say.

"Seriously, what the hell? Was it something that man said?"

Blue thinks for a moment. "No. It wasn't Terry. It was something you said."

"What? What did I say to make you run outta there like a bat outta hell?"

He shakes his head, as if it would clear his mind. "Nothing. Never mind. I'm really sorry, though. Wanna go to the orchard now?"

Berry sighs. "I suppose. But if you pull something like that again, I'm going home."

He laughs weakly. "Alright. Let's go."


End file.
